This is a delicious Puerto Rican roast pork (Pernil al Horno) that makes a wonderful change for the holidays. My sister's mother-in-law, Regina
Perez of New York, introduced our family to this wonderful pork roast. Pernil is roasted slowly in the oven until the meat is tender and
the skin on top is crackling and crisp. Every family has their own recipe
version of this recipe.

During the holiday season, Pernil
is often made in Latin-American homes. In fact, Pernil is at almost every Puerto Rican wedding, anniversary, birthday, or large party event. If there is no Pernil at the party there is no party

* Recaito is a cilantro cooking base that can be purchased at markets that stock Latin American ingredients.

** Sazon Goya Seasoning is a Puerto Rican seasoning.

*** Sofritois the base for many Puerto Rican dishes.
The blend of aromatic ingredients often includes recao (Mexican cilantro) and aji dulce peppers. It can be made at home or purchased.

**** The Pork Picnic Shoulder is a versatile cut of meat
as it consists of the lower shoulder and upper forearm of the animal. The arm and shank bones run through it and it is usually sold with a portion of skin still attached.
Pork shoulder (picnic) roast is the preferred cut because of the fat on top.

Preparation:

Recaito, Sazon Seasoning, and Sofrito can be found in Spanish stores or large supermarkets. Look in the spice section.

With a sharp knife cut the fat away from the meat, leaving an edge attached and keeping it all in
one piece.
Start at the wide end and go to the narrow end with your knife. You don't have to separate it completely, but leave just enough still connected so that you can
flip the fat back over to the side while you season the meat itself.
The fat will be placed over the seasoned meat and
will cook over the meat giving it more flavor. Season the side of the fat that goes over the meat with a bit of the seasoning.

Using a small sharp knife, cut 1-inch deep slits on all sides of the pork roast
(the more cuts the more taste). Using a spoon or your fingers, stuff the prepared seasoning mixture into each slit.

Place pork roast into a large dish or pan. Pour any extra seasoning mixture over the roast, cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Place the prepared roast, fat side up, onto a rack in a baking pan (with at
least 1-inch sides). Place a little water in the bottom of the pan. Mix paprika with a little olive oil; rub over the roast.

Bake, uncovered, 4 to 5 hours or until a meat thermometer registers an internal temperature of 185 degrees F. Base with juice every 30 minutes (if roast starts to
get too brown during baking, cover with aluminum foil). Do not turn the roast
while cooking. Remove from oven and transfer onto a large cutting board.

This
is the type of cooking and meat thermometer that I prefer and use in my cooking. I get many readers
asking what cooking/meat thermometer that I prefer and use in my cooking and baking. I, personally, use the Thermapen Thermometer shown in the photo on the
right. To learn more about this excellent
thermometer and to also purchase one (if you desire), just click on the underlined: Thermapen Thermometer.

Let stand 20 to 30 minutes before carving (meat temperature will rise 5 to 10 degrees after it is removed from the oven). After carving, transfer onto a large serving platter.